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Garden City Casino
On Saratoga Ave just south of Stevens Creek Blvd in San Jose. Just north of the 280/Saratoga Ave exit. Big rotating sign high above the street is lit at night; hard to miss. Games Limit hold 'em: 2/4, 3/6, 6/12, 8/16 w/half kill, 20/40 Spread-limit hold 'em: $100 buyin, 1/3 blinds, $3-$100 spread. Also: $200 buyin 2/5 blinds, $5-200 spread. NLHE: Not available. It is illegal to spread no-limit in San Jose. That's why they spread spread limit. Omaha: Not available; the Omaha games all migrated north to Bay 101. Stud 8/b: 4-8 ($1 ante, $1 bring-in). New in 2007: 6-12 hi-lo stud ($2 ante, $2 bring-in) replacement for the old 4-8 scoop game(6-12 structure for 1 hand after a pot is scooped). Asian games as well: "21st Century Blackjack", "Double Hand Poker", "Pai Gow", "Pan 9" Game Info: 2/4, and 3/6 generally very loose and passive. At 6/12, players are much better and play is much more sophisticated than at 3/6. The 8/16 game can be a tough game and has some very aggressive players and tends to be much wilder than 6/12. Best time is Friday, Saturday after 11:30pm. 4/8 7-stud 8/b lots of regulars, reasonable game. 6/12 7-stud 8/b on the weekends. 3-100 SL was added in early 2006, and 5-200 SL was added in early 2007. Players have really settled in, and a variety of players now play: raising maniacs, rocks, calling stations, etc. Can be a fairly juicy game, but can also be slow and steady depending on the table. Adding this game has made the casino notably more crowded; there is rarely any time during the evenings when all the tables aren't full now. The spread-limit games often have a long wait. A lot of young, inexperienced college aged players play this game, as well as middle aged players who have been playing poker for a year or two. Players at this game can sometimes be very good, but this game also attracts a lot of inexperienced players. Rake: for 2/4 is (increased February 2007) to $4 for 7-9 players, $3 for 6 players, $1 for 5 or fewer players, $1 if no flop. Rake for $3/6 and all higher limits as well as for spread is $4 for 7-9 players, $3 for 6 players, $1 for 5 or fewer players, $1 if no flop. At 20/40 there is also an additional "lobby charge" if you sit out and miss the blinds. Rake is taken directly out of the pot after the flop. Rake for stud hi/lo games is $5 for 8-7 players, $3 for 6 players, $1 for 5 or less players or no flop. Blinds are standard: $1/$2 for 2/4, $1/$3 for 3/6 and 3-100, $2/$6 for 6/12, $4/$8 for 8/16, and $10/$20 for 20/40. Posting: New players must post a big blind to enter the game, or come in on the big blind and take it. New players are allowed to post between the small blind and the button (thus being "an extra blind" after the button), but if they do so they cannot take the button the following hand - it jumps over them. If a player misses either the small or the big blind, they must post the total sum of the small and big blind to re-enter the game or wait to take the big blind in turn. The small blind portion of this total is then dead money in the center of the pot. Shuffling: Standard Shufflemaster shuffling machines on all tables except for one table (the one that goes away on Mondays). Wait Time: Wait times have gotten significant after 4PM most days. Not uncommon to wait more than 30 minutes in the evenings, especially on common paycheck days. For 20/40 you may call up to 1 hour ahead to put your name on the list. For other limits, calling ahead is no longer allowed. Tournaments 10:15 AM Monday-Friday. Most are no-limit spread limit. Buyins and rebuys vary but they are between $40 and $100. Tournaments at Garden City are not as upscale as those at Bay 101. There are no TV screens with current blinds or payouts (they use a whiteboard); and they rely on an egg timer for the levels. Most tournaments are completed within about three hours, and most draw about 70-80 players. First place prize is usually around $4000. Jackpots and Promotions Jackpots are prohibited by law in the city of San Jose. Atmosphere Traditional card room: somewhat dim lighting, dark colors. Fairly busy at all times of day, lots of sound of chips clacking, etc. 4 or 5 big or plasma TV screens are always showing ESPN, FSN, etc. I like it a lot, but many prefer the big gym atmosphere of Bay 101. Neighborhood: Business strip-mall area; restaurants, car dealerships, realty offices, etc. Reasonable, if not hospitable, location. It's safe to walk around outside. While there's an ATM inside the casino, a bank is right next door, so if you just walk outside you can save the outrageous ATM fee. Parking: hundreds of parking spaces available (mostly in back). Do not park in the twenty or so up front marked "Harry's Hofbrau", which are for the (decent) restaurant next door. Tables and Chairs: Standard 9-player tables. Felt is nice, soft felt with good padding. Player chairs are standard wood-frame chairs with nice padding; no wheels. Service and Comps Good food and reasonable service. There's a fairly large restaurant up front with nightly live jazz. Food is defintely better than usual poker room fare: it comes from the same chefs who serve the food in the nice restaurant up front. It is much more pricey than typical poker room fare, but it is also much higher quality. A good sandwich, fries, and a coke can run you $9. Real entrees, including daily specials, are also served, and can run up to $15 for the nicer ones. There can be a fairly long wait for a server, and the servers here seem to be somewhat overworked. Ask your dealer to flag one down, and they'll call the floop, who may actually announce it over the PA - and you'll still wait five minutes or more for a server to arrive. No comps, although there are pitchers of pour-it-yourself water and jugs of coffee throughout the casino. Even a small soda is $1 (but get the large for only $1.50). There is no discount on food for seated players, though the prices on the menu items in the casino do seem to be a bit more reasonable than the prices on the deluxe menu in the restaurant. The casino special, the basic "Lucky Burger" and fries, is only $4. Links * Official Garden City Website * Nearest competitor is only 7 miles to the north: Bay 101. Visited by wiki authors MarkT's "home casino"; visited frequently through 2005-7. at a poker game if desired.]]